A Different Path
by Oasys Arts
Summary: AU Edward does not come back to Forks when he goes to Denali during Twilight. Full summary inside. :]
1. Running

**Summary: This is an AU about what would happen if Edward had stayed away when he first ran into Bella in Biology during Twilight. Things are quite different. Edward finds love in another. But what happens when Bella comes back into his life. Who does he choose? **

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Twilight. **

**Running**

I was running.

I knew that much was true. Where I was running to was also another easy answer. I was going to go to the Denali coven until I could figure this out. I was currently on the eight and nearing the coven's home. I turned off the highway as I rethought the question I had been asking my self since 29 hours ago. _Why her? Why now? Why?_

It was nearing ten in the evening when I pulled into their driveway. It was late by human standards, but being as I am not human the time was irrelevant. Only a monster would be able to walk eternity without the bliss of being able to get away from reality and go to a world of dreams and surrealism. That was my existence. There was no life in me. No heart that pumped blood through my venom coated veins. No need to take in the oxygen that I inhaled merely out of habit. I just went day by day, going through the motions I had been going through for almost a century now.

I followed this train of thought as I realized I had parked out front of their home. My thoughts were driving me crazy. They were keeping me from paying attention. I quickly pulled myself together and stepped out of the car. I tried to look normal, but could feel the furrow of my brow crushed into a worried line across my forehead. I took one last deep breath in before I knocked.

I immediately heard people talking, both outwardly and in my mind. I was too engrailed in my own thoughts though to really care much so I just tuned them out. Soon enough the door was opened and I received a hug from someone and once they pulled away I saw that it was Carmen, the mother figure of the Denali coven. Standing behind her with a grin on his face was her mate Eleazar.

"Oh Edward! Carlisle called to say you were coming, I hope everything is alright! Come in, come in! Kate! Irina! Tanya! Edward is here, come say hello." Carmen called just above her normal speaking voice. She spoke very quickly and excitedly, it was hard not to grin at the outlandishness of her personality.

The three girls ran down the stairs and stopped just behind Carmen, all smiling wide.

Now I remembered why I had stayed away so long. The three of them had been competing over me for the past forty fifty odd years. But they were all too dense and I didn't need a companion. I was fine in myself.

Suddenly I wasn't so sure. I doubted myself, but I had no idea why. I was sure that I did not have feelings for any of these woman. And I had not met anybody new…

I was brought out of my reverie by the speaking of one of the girls, I looked up to see that it was Tanya, "Oh Edward, we have missed you. Why didn't you come back and visit like you promised?" She whined to me. It took everything in my being to keep from rolling my eyes, turning around and walking back to my car. I guess I would have to deal with the three pining for my attention again. It was something that drove me to my room for days and weeks at a time until I had to come out to hunt.

But instead of rolling my eyes and leaving, I smiled as sweetly as I could and said, "Tanya, I've only been gone for what? 2 years?" There, that was a neutral answer that would keep them from pursuing it more and kept me from being rude.

"Come," Carmen said to me, "let us sit in the family room and talk. We are all curious as to why you have come." I looked around me and did not need to read there minds to know that they indeed were all intrigued as to what I had been doing and why I had mysteriously ran from my family, my home, my 'life', to come here.

Eleazar took Carmen's hand and led her to the family room, Tanya, Kate, and Irina, waited for me to walk by them down the hall before following to the family room. The place was just as I had remembered it. Vast and open, bright and the hard wooden floors looked as if they had never seen a speck of dirt.

We entered the large family room and I sat in the only lone chair, no need to get them riled up over who would get to sit next to me on the "love" seat. The girls saw where I sat and all looked slightly sad, but recovered by taking the seat directly across from me, each staring intently at me in a way where I felt very uncomfortable. I was glad I had decided to block out the thoughts of the coven members. My mind was already in utter chaos, and the thoughts of three crushing girls and other curious and worried minds was not something I needed at the moment.

"SO Edward, tell us why you have come." Carmen asked as soon as everyone was present and sitting. She wore a reassuring smile, she reminded me of my mother. The way they smiled with love. I suddenly felt horrible for the way I was probably worrying Esme to 'death'. But there was no turning back. I could not go back to _her._

But now I had to decide. Do I tell them the truth or do I tell them a lie? If I tell them the truth would they think me weak? Think me incapable of handling a simple human girl? Which brought me to the next thought, how could this common, ordinary, and strange girl drive me from my home and family members? I still had the scent of her in my mind, the way her blood called to me, as if it were singing me a lullaby and willing me to drink from her pale thin skin.

But back to prior matters, the questioned at hand, the truth or a falsity? I was never one to be untruthful. But there was nothing wrong with a little subterfuge. I would just simply tell them enough, and maybe even perhaps make things work a little in my favor.

So with that in mind, I answered Carmen's question, "I met a girl." I answered shortly and dauntlessly. I opened my mind then, to see how they would take the inveracity. I started with the most annoying, the three girls.

_What?! A girl? A human girl or a vampire girl? I hope it isn't serious, I think I may have a chance this time. _Kate's thoughts made he corners of my lips twitch.

_What?! NO! No, no, no, no! _Irina's thought's kept repeating over and over again.

_That is SO not fair. I wonder why he wants us to believe him. _Tanya swiftly reminded me of her power.

Tanya had a power kind of like mine, but was different. She could not read the minds of anyone, and could not read directly. Instead she could read what your wants and greatest desires were at the given time. I would have to be careful.

_Oh dear, I hope he is alright. Was she of romantic importance?_ Carmen's thoughts were just what I expected.

_Of course, it's always a woman. _Eleazar thought and grinned at me while pulling his wife closer.

"Was she human?" Irina asked with curiosity.

"Were you romantic?" Carmen asked.

"Did she break your heart?" Kate asked.

"Do you love her?" Tanya asked while leaning forward, resting her elbow on her knee and her chin in her hand.

I thought of all the questions, and could not help the slight grin on my face, but wiped it off quickly to hide my secret.

"She was human, we were romantic in an unromantic way," when I came to last I tried to think of what to say. For some reason I wanted to say that I did love her. To say I had an adoration to her. And so I did, whether it was true or not. "And I loved her."

By the time I had finished all the girls were staring at me with intensity and fevered curiosity as to who this human female could be.

_She must be one special girl. I bet she's beautiful; god is she a lucky chick. _Kate thought abstracted.

"I think Edward has answered enough questions. You remember where your room was correct?" Eleazar had saved me from the females and the new round of questioning they were aiming to cast upon me. I gave a smile of appreciation and nodded.

I left the room with thoughts of adoration from the females of the room following me as I ascended the stairs to the confines of my room. The only place I could think properly about anything.

And the only place I could think properly about _her. _And as I thought that I realized I did not want to simply call her, _her._ She had a name, so from then on I had decided I would call her by it.

That evening was the fist time I day dreamed about Bella Swan.

* * *

**A/N: Yes, I know. This had a different first chapter. I like this one more, and since Stephenie already posted the actual first chapter, I decided it was redundant to have my own version. So here is the new first chapter. And to those that are Fate Always Wins fans, I am sorry that I have not been able to update. writers block is a big jerk! But I have so many ideas for THIS story I am about to explode: let me know what you think of this story.**


	2. Melissa

Disclaimer: I don't own crap. Poor me.

A/N: Sorry for the delay. I've been in Mexico and just started a new job. Time has been crunched.

I thought of what she would have tasted like, the feel of her blood coursing through her veins and into my mouth. The venom in my mouth started to pool and I could feel my eyes turning darker and darker by the moment.

I shook my head of the thoughts and tried to think of what I would do. It was difficult to block the overload of thoughts in this house and even more difficult to conceive my own thoughts. I managed after many, many attempts and found myself dreaming of the meadow I so frequently visited on sunny days. I then thought of what my family was probably doing. I thought about this for days until I would have to hunt, then I would come back and fall back into my thoughts. It was a week later when everything started to change.

I was so submerged in my own thoughts that I did not hear the frantic stirring downstairs. I was thinking of going home. That one silly human could not keep me from where I wanted to be and the people I loved. It was only when Irina came in to tell me that something was wrong that I came out of my state; confused and disoriented.

"What are you talking about?" I asked her, worry soaked my voice.

"Eleazar was out hunting and found a human that had been mauled by what looks like a wolf!" She was rushing through her explanation and I had to strain to hear her properly. But I got the basics of it and hurried down stairs.

A second later I was standing next to Eleazar as he watched the girl wither in pain. It was then that I comprehended what was going on. He had bit her. I looked at him and saw that his eyes were scarlet and regret shone in them. _I don't know what happened. There was just so much… blood. _I understood then.

He had found her, and instead of bringing her to safety he ended up attacking. I saw the scene play through his mind. The struggle to stop drinking. The fight that was his own thirst and the morality of the situation. His pain and shame was evident.

His actions showed me what I very close came to doing to Bella Swan. I inwardly cringed at the thought of killing an innocent. Not that I knew whether she was an innocent or not. Her mind was the only one I had come across that I could not read. It was so curious, I wanted to know why. But the monster inside me screamed at the thought of being close to her again. It took everything in me to regain my control here when she was hundreds of miles away.

I looked down at the human and realized for the first time that she was a girl. She was not exceptionally beautiful, but she most likely would be. She had brown hair and was not exactly thin, but not fat. Her eyes shot open and I noticed she had the most brilliant pair of blue eyes I had ever seen.

She looked so scared, I knew she was trying to speak, but also knew that due to the pain of the fire she would not be able to. I simple offered her a smile before she shut her eyes in pain again. The smell of her blood was not overwhelming. Compared to Bella, this was nothing. She reminded me of the smell of grass on a summer day. Refreshing.

I looked to Eleazar then and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry. It could have happened to any of us," I told him as his mind criticized himself again and again for his weakness. "It's what we are; the most important point is that we are trying." My words seemed to help a little. His mind needed to be alone to think so I decided that I would leave him there to his thoughts and to the withering human girl.

I went back to my room and went back into my sleepless dreams and imaginations. I was almost completely enveloped into my thoughts when I heard a knock at the door.

"Come in." I said with eyes closed.

"There is a phone call for you Edward," It was Irina again. "It's Alice."

I opened my eyes then and got up. Alice would understand what was going on, she could tell me what was happening there. How Bella was reacting to my absence.

I dashed to the phone and picked it up in a hurry but made sure my voice was composed when I finally spoke.

"Hello Alice." I stated formally.

"Hello Edward." She replied curtly.

"How is everyone?"

"Good as can be expected I suppose. When are you coming back?" She didn't waste anytime did she?

"I don't know Alice. I don't think I will be. Eleazar bit a girl today and it's going to take all of us to keep her in control once the transformation is complete. Or at least if she decides to stay and follow our diet."

"Oh, well Esme misses you dearly, and I wish you would just stop being so stubborn and come home already. You're strong Edward." She was trying to persuade me. Telling me about Esme was diffidently below the belt.

"I already told you Alice, I have to stay to take care of things with Eleazar. But as soon as I know that they have things handled then I will think about coming back." Sure, I had just been thinking about going but now there was something here to distract me from the things going on back in Forks, Washington.

"Fine Edward, but just so you know, things are now set in motion. Don't complain to me when they happen either." She warned me cryptically. What was that supposed to mean? I was going to ask her but then her a click and a dial tone. I set the phone down and walked back to my room to think about what she had just said.

I walked into my room and sat on the floor, elbows on my knees and both hands holding my head. _Things are now set in motion. _What did that mean? Had she seen a vision of something happening? _Don't complain to me when they happen either._ Obviously there was something she wasn't telling me. But what it was I had no idea. I guess I would just have to wait and find out.

* * *

­

My body aches and it hurts to sing

And no one is moving

And I wish that I

Weren't here tonight

But this is my life

* * *

Three days later I found myself eagerly awaiting the awakening of the female along with everyone else. We were currently congregated in the sitting room in silence, waiting for her last screams to ring.

And then it did. It was ear splitting and reached an octave I did not know existed.

I heard some mumblings and then she was being led out by Eleazar. Just as I had expected she was beautiful, not the most beautiful vampire I had ever seen, but beautiful by human standards. Her brown hair now had a permanent shine to it, giving it a glossed look. Her then normal body was now drastically thin, making her look like a high fashion model. Her face was defined, high cheek bones, straight nose, and a slight widows peak. Her lips were thin, but in a way that suited her. She was several inches shorter then me, making her around 5'6. Then I looked to the eyes I had found to intriguing. The blue was gone and was replaced by a vivid red.

I felt a sort of sorrow at the loss of something so human and beautiful.

_Oh no. He's beautiful, obviously taken. _

I grinned in spite of myself. That was what most people thought when they saw one of us.

_Breath, Breath, it's just a beautiful face. A beautiful, hot, sexy…._

I stopped listening then. It was all things I had heard before. Nothing new, all of their minds were the same.

"Everybody I would like to introduce you to Melissa. Melissa, this is Irina, Tanya, Kate, my wife Carmen, and Edward." He said my name last, singling me out and winking at me when I met his eye. _You know Edward, she is kinda cute, nothing like my Carmen of course, but you really should date sometime. You don't know what you're missing._ At first I was irritated with his thoughts, but then discovered I was longing for something. For what or whom I did not know, but I was determined to find out. Maybe he was right. Maybe I should try my hand at dating. It couldn't be that hard could it?

I quickly removed the thoughts from my head and stored them for later contemplation.

Melissa smiled at everyone in turn and then her eyes came to rest on mine. She smiled at me and for some reason I smiled back. I felt a sudden obligation to protect this girl at all costs. To make sure she was safe and that no one, or being, hurt her.

It was very strange for me to have feelings like this for anyone besides my family, especially when I had met them mere moments ago. So I stood up, walked straight up to her, took her hand, and brought my lips to her skin as I muttered, "Hello, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." She smiled before her eyes clouded over. I caught her as her still form began falling to the floor.

* * *

A/N: So... what do you think? I'm interested in seeing where this all goes... I don't know who he will pick yet... It depends on where the characters take me. I hope you all enjoyed! 


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